


The Scenic Route

by anupturnedboat



Category: Hart of Dixie
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Gen, Possibly Unrequited Love, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-18
Updated: 2013-07-20
Packaged: 2017-12-15 08:27:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 1,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/847413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anupturnedboat/pseuds/anupturnedboat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Part of him wanted to tell her that Bluebell didn’t hold anything for her. That going back to bouncing between George and Wade was a waste of her time. But then the moment passed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Am I the only one shipping Zoe and Jonah? 
> 
> Multi-(short) chapter fic. Takes place after S2 Season finale.

"Ready to go back to your real life Dr. Hart?” Jonah found himself asking, an unfamiliar lump in his throat as he finished loading the last of her suitcases into the cab.

“Yep,” she said curtly, avoiding his skeptical gaze, fingers tapping away at her phone.

“Really?” he asked, his hand on her wrist, enough genuine concern coloring that one word that she stopped what she was doing and looked at him.

It had only been three months, but Jonah had gotten fairly adept at reading her.  At understanding what the tone in her voice meant, and deciphering the rapid fire rants that could come out of nowhere.  He was even pretty good at untangling her from the George Tucker/Wade Kinsella Bermuda triangle of regret.

Speakin' of, it only took a couple of drinks, usually at the dive near his place to get her going on _that_ subject.  Any other girl and it would have been annoying, but Zoe Hart had a way of being adorable, drunk, and obsessive all at the same time.  Besides he was here, and good old George and Wade weren’t.  Well, until today at least.

“Yes, totally ready to head back and do my Bluebell - thing,” she chirped with faked enthusiasm.

He wasn’t buying it. “Or you could stay here. Do your New York - thing.” He followed it up with a flirtatious smirk, but it was really just for show. He had used all his best lines on her already, and she knew it.

“Jonah Breeland, I just want to say thank you,” she said as she slid into the cab.

“For what?” He smiled, leaning in close, suddenly thinking how strange New York was going to seem without her.

“Being my friend this summer, you could have been a real jerk, but surprisingly, you were pretty amazing.”

“I do get that a lot,” he joked.

“The part about being a jerk? You shouldn’t take it too personally” she deadpanned, but he knew her well enough to know that the previous sentiment had been sincere.

It touched him, and he paused. There were words on the tip of his tongue, and his eyes darted to her lips. The moment hung between them longer than was necessary, and part of him wanted to tell her that Bluebell didn’t hold anything for her. That going back to bouncing between George and Wade was a waste of her time. But then the moment passed.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Once, he’d carried Dr. Zoe Hart over his shoulder the two blocks from the bar to his apartment. Jonah had tucked her high heels into each of his pockets after they’d fallen off her flailing feet several times. She complained the entire way.

He had tried to set her down gently while putting his key in the lock. She still bonked the back of her head on the door. She had called him a bad friend. He had called her a pain in the ass, and that if he let her in, there was to be no more talk about George Tucker or Wade Kinsella.

He’d poured her a glass of wine, although she’d had more than enough already. Two seconds later she was passed out on his couch. Jonah had thrown a blanket over her and gone to bed, closing the door between them quietly.

Zoe Hart had only been gone two days, and it was annoying that his own apartment seemed off without her flopping down on his couch and mindlessly flipping through the channels, complaining about how much she hated the hotel, and maybe she should get a place of her own.

Now, he kept thinking maybe he should have said something more before shutting the door to that cab, but the time hadn’t been right. The timing never seemed right, and he had been tongue-tied anyway. What was that all about? He hadn’t been tongue tied around a girl since high school.

Now she was a thousand miles away and all he could do was wonder what kind of trouble she was getting into without him in Bluebell.

Before he could chicken out, Jonah sent her a text asking how things were going. Then another asking if she missed him yet. But things must have been busy in Bluebell because there had been no quippy retort, or acerbic put down in reply.

A few hours later, the Yankees were tied in the ninth when Jonah's phone buzzed. “Call me!” the text read. He didn’t really care that much about baseball anyway.


	3. Chapter 3

The thing he remembers about that first night in New York is that the black dress she’d worn was kind of disaster. Not that Jonah knew much about fashion, but in his opinion Dr. Hart looked better in brighter colors.

The look on her face had been about as festive as that dress, and after six hours on the road, he’d had no doubt as to why. Wade Kinsella and George Tucker were both morons, and she could do better. In fact, hadn’t he just said the same thing to Lemon just a couple of months ago? What did women see in George Tucker anyway? Tucker was such a goody two shoes, at least Wade was occasionally fun.

After dropping Zoe off at the hotel, he couldn’t help thinking about how quiet she had been since Wade supposedly asked her for a second chance. Jonah had tried to get the details out of her, but she had finally snapped “shut it”. He’d grinned and told her he would just have to spend the summer trying to find out low Kinsella had stooped to get her back. It was strictly research, just in case he felt like busting Kinsella’s balls the next time he was in Bluebell.

The fact that she had still gotten in the car with him and come to New York was kind of perfect.

So, although it was probably going to turn into a disaster, on his first night back in New York, he’d pulled his tuxedo out, not sure if she’d appreciate the gesture or not. With Zoe Hart, you never could tell.

“Hey!” he’d called out, hoping he wasn’t about to make a fool out of himself.

She hadn’t looked thrilled, but she didn’t ask security to make him leave either.

They had three shots before dinner was served. He’d turned down a fourth because he had an early day at the hospital tomorrow. Zoe Hart had rolled her eyes, and called him a light weight.

Later, he’d asked her to dance; thoroughly convinced she’d tell him to screw off, but instead she put her head on his shoulder, and didn’t slug him when he put his hand on her waist.

Afterwards, she had jabbed a finger at his chest and told him not to get any ideas.


	4. Chapter 4

The first thing he had ever known about Dr. Zoe Hart (that she pranced around town in scandalously short leather shorts) had come courtesy of Dash’s blog.

The first time he met her, it wasn’t the right season for shorts, but she was exactly what he was expecting. “Zoe Hart and Wade are doin’ it”, Frank had helpfully offered as they watched her leave the Dixie Stop.

This time instead of wrenching a bottle of wine out of his hand and stomping off, she threw her arms around his neck and told him how happy she was to see him.

This time it was outside the Rammer Jammer instead of inside the Dixie stop, and Wade Kinsella swallowed hard and glared at him when her back was turned.

 _So, she hadn’t hooked up with Kinsella_.

“Well, this is a better welcome than last time,” he smirked, earning him an eye roll.

“Things are crazy, and I am worried about Brick, and Lemon is bugging, like seriously buggin-“

“I’ll take care of Lemon,” he said stopping her short. “And I am sure Brick’s patients will be delighted to be seen by a real doctor,” he teased. She eyed him, torn between throwing a punch and maybe hugging him again.

“C’mon on,” he drawled, fondly exasperated, opening the car door for her.


	5. Chapter 5

The second thing he had known about Zoe Hart was that she was a damn fine doctor. He’d seen it first hand this summer and even more so here in Bluebell. She was the kind of doctor that excelled in small towns, where you had to be more than just a doctor. You had to brave, creative, patient and kind – all the time. Even when the door was locked, and the doctor was out.

He had found himself wanting to tell her that she didn’t need him, not really, that she was doing perfectly fine, even with Brick gone. Then she’d give him one of those scathing looks, and he’d decide that daring to tell her how wonderful she was would probably earn him a sarcastic comeback, maybe an irritated glare – if he was lucky. That was just the way Zoe Hart rolled.

He poured a little of Brick’s good whiskey into both of their glasses.

Zoe Hart kicked off her shoes, and half stumbled, slid down the wall.

“You’re a terrible drunk,” he exclaimed reaching a hand out, laughing.

She slapped his hand away “Shut up. Am not.”

“You are too,” he laughed, dropping down next to her and nudging her with his shoulder. “I do have some authority on the matter, I seem to recall sitting through an entire summer’s worth of Wade or George, George or Wade conversations,” he teased. She glared at him for a long moment and then hiccupped, which got them both laughing.

In truth, he was feeling a little drunk himself. It crossed his mind that Brick would frown upon them sitting on the floor getting drunk on his good whiskey, but they deserved it he reasoned. It had been a long day, with everyone in Bluebell sick, or feigning sickness in order to badger them about Brick.

To Zoe’s credit, she hadn’t slipped up once and blurted out that he was in the hospital in Mobile.

“I wish you could stay longer,” Zoe confessed with a lopsided smile. He knew it was the alcohol talking. It was how stressed out she was trying to keep Lemon and Magnolia from imploding. Keeping Brick’s secret, and how worried she was about him. It wasn’t anything more than that. Not even if there was part of him that was hoping that it was.

“We make a good team,” she said fixing him with one of those Zoe Hart looks. One of those one’s that made him all tongue tied.

Her hair was messy, and she had this look like she knew exactly what he was thinking.

“What? No creepy come on? No completely inappropriate innuendo?” She asked incredulously breaking him out of his tongue tied trance. “This is not ok, what has happened to the real Jonah Breeland?”

She set her glass down and frowned at him expectantly.

He stared at her messy hair. Good question, he thought to himself, because really, what _was_ he doing here?

“I guess there are more sides to the real Jonah Breeland than you know,” he muttered self consciously.

“No way,” she teased smacking his shoulder, a playful glint in her eye. But his heart had taken on this serious thump, thump, that was loud in his ears, and he was staring at her messy hair.

“Zoe I -” he started heart in his throat. Impossible, obviously, but it felt true.

A loud banging noise and a familiar voice at the front door startled them both. “Uggh,” he exhaled shakily, standing up, “What does Tucker want now?”


End file.
